Celebration of Giving 2020

At this time of year I often look forward to hosting UQ’s Celebration of Giving – an evening to celebrate our giving community and donors just like you. However, we are unfortunately unable to host this year’s event due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Although we cannot come together in person to celebrate, as a generous supporter of UQ I invite you to join with me in our Celebration of Giving week.

Each day via the UQ Alumni Facebook page we will be sharing with you stories of generosity from across the University through our special Celebration of Giving Week podcast series. Our donors, alumni and staff will provide their inspirations for giving and the achievements made possible, because of you.

Celebration of Giving Week Podcast Series

Episode 1 – Supporting Indigenous success in HASS

Attending university can be the experience that catalyses an entire career and a lifelong passion, but for many Indigenous students, the financial burden means it isn’t an option. In this episode, we talked to Professor Heather Zwicker and Associate Professor Sandra Philips about the HASS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship Endowment Fund, which was established through Heather’s initial commitment on Giving Day in 2019. For both Heather and Sandra, the fund is an important step in creating the generational change we need to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students.

Episode 2 – The natural match of philanthropy and entrepreneurialism

Robert Quinn – like all start-up founders – is driven by a desire to create change in the world. For Robert, this is change he is creating through his start-up company, Patch’d Medical, but also as one of the inaugural members of UQ’s Founder’s Pledge. The Pledge is an exciting new approach to giving which marries the natural ambition of entrepreneurialism and philanthropy to create a community of like-minded individuals committed to paying their success back. In this episode, we talked to Robert about his experiences with the Founder’s Pledge, the start-up culture in Australia, and the importance of giving back.

Episode 3 – Paying back your own opportunities

For Cynthia Burnett, languages and culture offer us unique insights into humanity – a lesson she learned while teaching and learning in Europe on two scholarships after her studies in the late 1960s. In 2018, Cynthia established the Cynthia Burnett Travel Scholarships to give back the opportunity awarded to her during her own university studies, to support talented young students undertaking language learning in the native environment. Through her foundation – established in her father’s name – she also supports medical education at UQ at the Francis Baron Burnett Stimulation Centre. In this episode, we talked to Cynthia about her love for languages and her experience with giving at UQ.

Episode 4 – Supporting physio students when they need it most

Clinical placements are a critical part of a physiotherapy student’s education, but they can sometimes create a significant financial burden for students who have to relocate temporarily for their placements. This is a need Emeritus Professor Gwendolen Jull recognised in her time teaching within the School of Rehabilitation and Social Sciences, and saw her establish two new scholarships for physiotherapy students in need. In this episode, we talked to Gwen about time as an educator at UQ and her decision to give.